What is a VPN?
As government regulation for the internet becomes stronger and stronger, you might want to hide your IP address and location. Alternatively, if you’re not physically in a certain country, you might want to appear like you are, for example if you want to watch Hulu from abroad, or BBC iPlayer abroad. A VPN let’s you do this by allowing your internet traffic to slow through a server in a different country.
How secure is my data?
Using a VPN can be more secure than not using one, since the protocols are often encrypted, your location is hidden and browsing data is sometimes not logged. Therefore it’s actually better than just plain browsing!
Are speeds decent?
The main problem people have with VPNs is the speed, it’s often slower than browsing normally. We’ve reviewed a lot of services now, and this can certainly be a problem. It’s why we’ve tried to select the best services for you on the front page, the speeds on these are normally very good.
Can this be done automatically?
If a VPN service has decent software, it will automatically let you use the VPN just by running the software. So you don’t need to manually set up anything.
What are the disadvantages?
It might be illegal to hide your browsing activity in your country. Another disadvantage is that certain VPN services log your browsing data, and will release it if their government courts request it.
How to choose a provider?
Take a look at the reviews I have written, and the table I’ve made where I aggregate all of the providers. I’ve tried to make them as clear as possible about what features the providers have.
